Centerless Grinding: The Key to High-Quality Decorative Spindles

We all love decorative spindles for their style and versatility. Spindles have so many uses that everyone who works with wood components will need them at one point or another.  

From baby cribs, popular fishing equipment, and even handles for gavels, the applications of spindles are endless. 

How can one wood component be made for so many different applications? 

Atlas Dowel produces decorative spindles every day through the process of centerless grinding. This post will go over the process and how it is used to create high-quality spindles.  

What is Centerless Grinding? 

In word working, typical turning is done by lathes, where knives cut into a spinning wooden surface. However, with centerless grinding technology, the wood workpiece is held between two grinding wheels which rotate in the same direction but at different speeds.  

One grinding wheel is fixed on an axis and rotates so that the force applied to the wood workpiece is directed downwards. The wheel performs the grinding action by having a higher liner speed than the workpiece at the point of contact. 

The second grinding wheel is positioned to apply lateral pressure to the wood workpiece and often has a rough or rubber-bonded abrasive to trap the workpiece in place. The relative speed of the two wheels provides the grinding action and determines the rate at which wood is removed from the workpiece surface. 

What Are the Advantages of Centerless Grinding? 

Centerless grinding is an efficient process that allows for fast grinding without the use of a lathe. However, these grinding machines can only make cylindrical shapes and have to balance on both sides so the wood workpiece has to be completely clean. Large quantities are best for this process, as it repeats rapidly and has a much lower waste than lathe turning. 

A few major advantages of centerless grinding for creating decorative spindles are that the process completely sands the wood, producing smooth and usable wood cylinder variations as a result of the process. They can also produce intricate details, for a piece of high-end cabinetry or even a judge's gavel.  

Another advantage is that the waste from this process is minimal. There is no excess of scrap or energy as centerless grinding quickly and efficiently grinds down the wooden workpiece into a usable cylinder.  

Finally, this process produces high-end results that are immediately ready to be finished. In addition, centerless grinding can handle multiple pieces each time.  

Superior Spindles from Atlas Dowel 

Centerless grinding offers tremendous versatility in producing different types of decorative spindle designs. Whether you need a simple cylinder or a complex and intricate design, centerless grinding can create a range of spindle shapes. 

Advancements in centerless grinding technology have improved its efficiency and productivity. Through-feed and in-feed grinding methods allow for more complex spindle designs. In the future, automation and robotics will improve this process further which will result in enhanced consistency, repeatability, and speed. 

At Alas Dowel, we know the power centerless grinding has to produce high-quality spindles that you can count on.  

No matter what you are using your decorative spindles for, Atlas Dowel can make spindles to your need and specifications.  

For the best decorative wood spindles, shop with Atlas Dowel today! 

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